So I read this incredible post on Luxirare and knew immediately that I had to have it, or, at least, something pretty close. So we picked up a baguette, slathered on some salted Vermont Amish butter, and briefly cooked down some incandescent baby strawberries in a bit of orange zest and white granulated sugar. We debated even cooking the strawberries at all, because in their raw, fully-formed state, they already taste like little bombs of syrupy jam. They’re expensive, but so worth it — and nothing like their distant Dole cousins, which are outlandishly big, have the texture of sawdust, and taste like air.

More often than not, my daily eating pattern goes something like this: Toast for breakfast (Russian bread, smeared with local chevre and halved cherry tomatoes), soup for lunch (cannellini bean, kale, shaved golden beets, and leftover roast chicken in broth), and lots of meat and wine for dinner. I rarely get bored of this advancement of my day. I finally tackled the Lee Bros’ famous grits recipe, and served it with a spice-rubbed pork tenderloin, and a cabbage, plum and bacon compote. We cut the leftovers into slender wedges the next morning, reheated in the oven until extra crispy. Big pat of butter and a snip of chives on top is essential, though the grits are admittedly quite rich and delicious on their own.

ah, breakfast. keeping it simple yet decadent for a saturday midmorning brunch. piping hot coffee, strong. the rest of the pot was later converted into iced coffee that i brought with me to the pond for a post-brunch nap & spliff. sliced strawberries on buttered whole wheat toast with bonne maman preserves. home fries with black beans, cheddar, red bell peppers, red onion, and lots of parsley & cayenne pepper. the trick is to parboil the potatoes for 10 minutes before dicing and throwing in a very hot cast iron skillet. total heaven – and don’t forget the sriracha.

note: there were scrambled eggs with pesto & parmesan, too. i don’t eat eggs, hence absence of them on my plate. they looked delicious, though.